>  SE-> We don't see a lot of NASDS shops in this area.  South Florida
 >  SE-> is primarily a PADI & NAUI arena.
 > Working as a Divemaster for PADI I can compare my NASDS open-water
 > course.  I think the NASDS course was superior and many of the things
 > I did I had to do over in PADI Advanced.  I have to admit that I'm
 > glad I started out as NASDS because I was not a swimmer.  When I
 > started I could only dog-paddle and the swimming part would have
 > killed me.  It was with a lot of reluctance that I had to learn to
 > swim to become a Divemaster, it was also my last requirement to be
 > finished.
As a NASDS instructor that never saw action in any other program other than 
NASDS, i'm glad to see a response like that.  I generally spend 12 hours of 
classroom instruction, and another 12 hours of pool instruction before a 
student goes to open water and I believe they are mentally and physically
ready for the adventure.  On my last day of certification dives, I feel 
comfortable having any of my students as a dive buddy.
My only regret is that no matter how much you teach the tables, too many 
people will forget how to use them 3 to 6 months down the road.  I 
continually emphasize dive computers as a "backup" to prevent any kind of 
mental mistakes.
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